Edge is an American brand of shaving gel manufactured by Edgewell Personal Care. The line includes Sensitive Skin, Extra Moisturizing, Extra Protection, Ultra Sensitive, Clean and Refreshing, and Soothing Aloe.[2][3]
S. C. Johnson & Son launched the Edge brand nationally in the United States on March 24, 1970 with a $4 million advertising campaign.[4] By 1975, Edge was reported to hold "10 percent or so" of the shaving cream and gel market[5] and reached a 17% market share by 1982.[6]
S. C. Johnson held a patent for the shaving gel[7] and successfully sued Carter-Wallace for infringement based on its Rise brand gel.[8] As a result, Rise gel was withdrawn from the market.[9]
The company also successfully sued The Gillette Company for infringement based on its Foamy brand gel.[10][11] Foamy, which had long been the best-selling shaving cream, had introduced a gel version in 1983 to compete with Edge.[12] The trial court in the Gillette lawsuit found that Edge accounted for more than 20% of the market for shaving products at the time of trial, and the appellate court described the Edge gel product as "an overwhelming commercial success".[11] Despite the lawsuit, Foamy gel remained on the market because by the time of the trial court's decision, S. C. Johnson's patent had expired.[10] By 1993, Edge had reached 30% of the shaving cream and gel market, leading the category.[13]
S. C. Johnson sold the Edge brand to Energizer Holdings in 2009 to focus more on household chemicals and fragrances.[1][14] In turn, Energizer spun off its personal care brands, including Edge, as a new corporation, Edgewell Personal Care, in 2015.[15]
